A Shoutcast DJ setup,
Gothic Asylum Radio
(And other fine shows)
So, you want to DJ a show on my server??
This is what you’re going to have to know.
Things you will need:
A Decently fast computer. (No, it doesn’t need to be top of the line, just
above a Pentium 2 would be best. Something like a Pentium 3 with at least
256mb of ram)
To be running Windows 98se or greater. (Personally, if your system can’t
handle at least Windows 2K, maybe you should upgrade first)
Someone who is willing to act as a Server. (That would be me, or on
someone else’s server)
At least Cable/DSL Internet. (Sorry kiddies, It is way too difficult to setup
Dial-Up Shoutcasting)
To have Winamp installed on the computer you’re going to broadcast
from. (Easy! Download it from Winamp.com (note, the DSP doesn’t work
with Winamp 3.X)
To install the Shoutcast DSP plug-in. (Real easy, just download it from the
Shoutcast.com website under “Downloads” and “Be a DJ”, Then install it)
Optional stuff:
Microphones (Cause I’m sure you want to be heard as much as your
music)
Mixing Board
Headphones (so you can monitor yourself and the show, without feedback
or making everyone else in the house pissed)
Install the Shoutcast DSP Broadcasting Tools
Once the download has completed, you will need to install the software. Verify that
Winamp is not running before proceeding. Simply open the dsp software installer by
double-clicking on it in the location you saved it to, and follow the onscreen instructions
to install. Once you have installed the DSP, start Winamp, open the preferences
(CTRL+P) and click on the DSP/Effects subcategory under the Plug-ins tree
If you see "Nullsoft Shoutcast Source DSP v1.9.0" in the right pane, then you have correctly
installed the Shoutcast Broadcast DSP Plug-in
Once all requirements have been met,
Time to set up your Shoutcast Plug-in.
Time to learn how to access the Shoutcast DSP Broadcasting tool.
(Press CTRL+P to get to the preferences box)
First we make sure that the DirectSound Output settings are set to your
“Primary Sound Driver” or in my case “SB Audigy Audio” is selected.
From there go to the DSP/Effect under Plug-ins.
From that window, we select “Nullsoft Shoutcast Source DSP v1.x.x”
This will pop up the window as shown above.
Go to the “Output” tab and make sure to enter the connection info.
As you can see below, I put in the server address (yours should be
much different) as well as the port (which is always 8000) and password.
Also, don’t forget to set up your personal show info under the
“Yellowpages” button. (Yours should be different from mine)
Also, just use Output 1, and encoder 1. (Don’t change those settings unless
You know what you’re doing) the reason for this is that it is programmed at
24kps at 22 kHz mono. (This is set that way so even people on dial-up (28.8
through 56k) can listen to your show) It also helps prevent skipping.
After all that is set, you still have a few things to straighten out before you
can start broadcasting.
Go to the Input Tab and check the settings.
If it’s going to be music-only, (no talking…) leave it on “Winamp” for the
Input device.
However, if you want to talk at any point (especially if you would like music
to play while you’re talking), you’re going to need to set up for “Soundcard
Input”. Also, I must stress that you need a microphone… and make sure it’s
plugged into the computer microphone port (usually pink or red) to do this.
(One too many times I was asked about it, and it was usually one of those
was not done)
Notice that the Winamp input doesn’t have any bells and whistles…
But for the Soundcard input has plenty to play with.
DO NOT Change the Settings (44100Hz) or else you will mess things up.
Ok, this is where the fun starts, listening to music, push the “Push to talk”
button, and listen to how it sounds through the headphones…adjust the “BG
Music level” and the “Mic” levels so that the music stays in the background
when you talk.
After all that, make sure you’re connected to the Internet, and go back to the
“Output” tab. On the “Output” tab, press Connect, If you see “[0D
X:XX:XX] Sent XXXXXXX bytes” then everything worked out. If not, let
me know. (Also, make sure you have worked out everything with your
server beforehand…because if the server is not up, you won’t be able to
connect)
Ok, just to clear stuff up for those who would not know how to set up a
mixer board. I personally have a very simple one to just allow me to have
more than one microphone at once.
You will need the following: (at least for my setup)
A Mixer board (this is a no duh)
A Special connector (shown below)
A Stereo cable (Red/White male plugs, both ends)
More than 1 microphone
< This is my Mixer (mostly
for microphones) Radioshack 4 Channel stereo sound mixer.
< This is the special adapter. It is the
Phono-to-Stereo plug adapter.
< And these are the Audio cables.
Or you can by-pass the last two with:
< this is a single cable that
goes from Audio Phono-to-Stereo.
< this is the
microphone I use.. Old School Baby!
OK, here is how you set it up:
Make sure that the mixer has power (either 9v battery or a/c Input)
Plug the cables into the mixer
Plug Cables into the microphone jack on your computer
Plug the microphone into the mixer
Make sure that the microphone port isn’t muted through windows
< this one has got me into
trouble countless times... Also, make sure in the recording section you have
it set for “What-U-Hear” (see below, second column if you’re blind!).